By Joseph "Joey" ButtsRay Allen has been all over social media lately. I scroll through my Twitter feed, which is completely shrouded by sports analysts, journalists, and athletes. Most of them are talking about Ray right now. What I am seeing comes with support to the NBA’s all-time leading 3-point shooter. Recently, there was a reunion of the 2008 NBA Championship team, being the Celtics. The team was almost flawless. They had the distributer in Rondo. They had “The Truth” in Pierce. They had arguably the best power forward of all-time in Garnett. They had the two bruisers in Davis and Perkins and of course, they had the purest of shooters, in Ray. I guess I am a little bias, being that He Got Game is my all-time favorite movie. I even tried to perfect the Ray Allen jump shot, which is impossible unless you are just gifted like he is. I cannot even begin to tell you how many times I watched him break Reggie Miller’s record. The rebound, hand-off to Rondo, and then the chest pass to Ray who was trailing on the wing during the fast break. The whole arena knew it was going in; they were on their feet as soon as Ray caught the ball. The explosion of the crowd was unreal after it sank. This is all coming from a Knicks fan, by the way. I hate the Celtics as much as the next Knicks fan but you cannot deny greatness. You cannot deny game. The Celtics had a special team and it was something worth watching, fan of them or not. But the NBA is a business. Players come and go. Dynasties fade in, and then they fade out. Ray decided that his time in Boston had come to an end. Ray had been subject to trade rumors ever since he arrived in Boston. Some for Tracy McGrady, and later, for OJ Mayo. He was coming off an injury which plagued his season in 2012. The chances for the original big three to stick together seemed less and less. After the swirling rumors, the Celtics decided to make Ray an offer to stay for another two years. But he decided to pack up his bags and head to Miami, in search of another ring alongside Lebron and Wade. There, he hit the most important shot of his career, which gave them the ring he came for. The bad blood left by Ray was apparent, it happens. The team didn’t necessarily need his services as much as they once did. Other players were coming in, taking his spot and changing the offense. He made his decision on business. He wanted to play, and be a vital piece of an offense. While he played less minutes in Miami than he did in the last season in Boston, he was a key part. Contributing 10.9 PPG while playing around 25 minutes, according to basketball-reference.com. He also helped out Lebron by altering his free throw routine. Making it look smooth and effective.
Ray Allen joined a rival team in the conference. That is what hurt the guys in Boston the most. But it has been 9 years since that day. How can they deny the greatness that they all had together? To not invite Ray to the reunion was just childish. Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant are already talking to each other again, and that breakup was far worse in my opinion, although eerily similar. Amends should be made. Ray might have to step up to the plate and be the bigger man. But maybe not? After that reunion show the other night, I would find it hard to get in touch with them. You have your legacy, you have your trophies, and you have your family. That’s all there is to it. Oh, and you were a part of the greatest sports movie of all time.
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by Joseph "Joey" ButtsTo Mr Anthony, It’s a cycle: I get my hopes up and then I’m disappointed. Then I start to have faith again, and the cycle continues. I must be a glutton for punishment. I am always left disappointed and I am always foolish enough to start having faith once more. But it has to end at some point, right? But just not now. I’ll have to revisit this again next year because it hurts too good to quit now. Mr. Anthony, you’re in this same cycle. From the outside looking in, my suffering might not seem severe. But you cannot tell me I don't know what I am talking about. My exposure to the blue and orange stems from what some may call “conformity” or even “peer pressure” The slightly modified cliche of “all the kids are watching it”. I followed, unknowingly setting myself up for years of depression and anger. I first saw you Upstate. At such a young age, you were carrying a heavy weight on your shoulders. From that, they praised you and your gifts. They saw potential that they have seen in only a few before you. It was said that you were only outmatched by possibly one. Back then I didn't get what he had accomplished. I saw a tall grown man, with what seemed like he had nothing to lose. You went on to better things in the middle of the country. Those were the years I was stuck admiring the once-seemed-promising man who infamously ate Vaseline. Eventually, some promising youth came along, but none of which gave us anything to really gloat about. Fast-forward some ten years and here comes the “resurgence”. The Mecca seemed like it was the place to be, yet again. You made your way back to the Big Apple, the place where you were born. Every bit of pain that we all endured seemed like it could be worth its while. But I was wrong. Albert Einstein once said “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results”. This quote, feels so familiar. The repetition from the top office is unsettling. Nothing seems to change, no matter who is manning the fort. Insanity seems to be a plague in this city. But last year we were given a gift from the gods. A young unicorn, if you will. So I applaud them for that. It was a highly doubted and controversial move, but the master seemed to prove us wrong. I haven’t left because I believe in you. But if it isn’t about winning then what is it? Loyalty? Each year seems like a failure. Each year holds one massive disappointment after another. Even when there are glimpses of success, it always seems to be followed up with wrongdoing and malpractice. This is where it is troubling, the excellence of this unicorn and the prestige it carries with it, cannot be disputed. It is special, unheard of, and developing. But is this where the cycle continues? My hopes are up. They have probably been up longer and taller than they have in a few years now, but that is the scariest part. I’m higher up, but that usually only means a bigger fall. After some short lived days of boasting, what came after was massive tragedy. It’s like I was on the 6th story of my apartment building, and jumped off to land directly on my feet, breaking every bone in my leg. The year after that, is like the surgery went wrong, and I was crippled for another year. Pushing myself around with my head down and my pride hanging on by a thread. I take that thread and sew it back up, just as I do most years. I stitch together a new image on my blanket, probably with different faces then the one before it. I only have one suggestion, Mr. Anthony. Like David once did to Tim, and now Tim to Kawhi, you must pass the torch. You are loved here, and I appreciate what you have done. We all do. You have given us our first moment of pride in over 12 years. But your time on top has come to an end. It is time to step back, and let this divine power of the gods come to the forefront. I am not telling you to leave us. I am only asking for you to take some of the weight off your shoulders, and let this unicorn have his turn. Show us the leader that we know you can be. Give the throne to him or, teach him how to acquire the throne with grace and dignity. Coming into the throne without any support never ends well, tyranny and dictatorship usually ensues. But if you stand next to him, and give him direction, and you can watch him shine. Work with him rather than around him. Help him develop the tools to be just as efficient as you are right now. It will be beneficial to you both. If you truly want to remain at the Mecca; with your family, with your team; then this is your best shot. He is young, still learning. He doesn’t know what it is like to succeed in today’s game. You do. It might not be the success you have been longing for, but you know what success is. He will need you every step of the way. Best of luck, Your fan through thick and thin. |
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